She's leading the IT services component ofthe largest and fastest-growing division ofNorthrop Grumman, and the sector is wellpositionedto benefit from the continueddemand for technology in homeland security,intelligence, military and health care for federal,state and local agencies.

Mills began her role ascorporate vice president andpresident of NorthropGrumman IT May 1, succeedingJames O'Neill, whoretired. She said serving abroad array of clients is anadvantage.

"We are proud to serve a diverse customer setthat spans military, intelligence, civil federalagencies and state/local government," Mills said."This diverse mix enables us to grow asbudget priorities shift," she added. "Tight budgetsare always a two-edged sword: The pressureto do more with less drives demand for ITbecause IT drives productivity. On the otherhand, it can slow new system starts."

In a headline-grabbing win, NorthropGrumman and the parent company ofAirbus beat Boeing Co. earlier this year fora $40 billion Air Force tanker contract.

In 2007, Northrop Grumman IT hadseveral major wins, including a $267 millionaward for the Army's DefenseKnowledge Online Web portal and a$220 million deal for data storage atNASA. The company was one of 16 contractorschosen to participate in a massiveMedicare and Medicaid governmentwideacquisition contract. However, it has lost afew contracts, notably the FBI's NextGeneration Identification project.

The IT unit is also active in the intelligencecommunity, state and local governmentsin the United States, and theUnited Kingdom.

"They have acquired very high-quality businesseswith high-level capabilities and effectivelyintegrated them," he said. "NorthropGrumman is as well-positioned as anyone."

Mills said she views IT as playing a criticalrole in government, no matter who wins thepresidential election.

The candidates face the same challenges: thewar in Iraq, economic issues in the UnitedStates, the environment, immigration andhealth care, among others, she said. "IT plays acritical role in meeting these challenges irrespectiveof policy," Mills said. "For example, inhealth care, whether we go to a national system,mandated health insurance or some otherapproach, IT will be critical to reducing costsand improving quality of care."

About the Author

Alice Lipowicz is a staff writer covering government 2.0, homeland security and other IT policies for Federal Computer Week.

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